The following material is supplied as a template for your rugby club to modify and use as they see appropriate.

It is based on a previous submission to the RFU that has been accepted as part of a funding opportunity.

The development plan that you produce must reflect what your club will do and you must ensure that your club are fully committed to its implementation in the timeframes that you specify. It is therefore vital that your action plan has the ‘right’ volunteers in place to drive the actions forward.

Xxxxxxxx Rugby Football Club

Community Rugby Development Plan

Month 200x

  1. Introduction
  2. Club Background

Please insert in this section a summary of your rugby club from creation to the present day. It should contain an outline description of the growth of the club, from a clubhouse/facilities, membership and player base perspective.

  1. Club Future

The following example text should be modified or replaced depending on what your club is looking to achieve in the coming years.

Xxxxx RFC are looking to build on the solid base that has provided a warm and friendly rugby environment for senior, vets and junior rugby over the past xx years. We will continue to improve on the management processes that are already in place and via continued attention to the Youth Rugby Seal of Approval ensure that we have a safe and well-organised facility for our members. Where necessary we will implement new processes and procedures to meet changing governmental and local requirements.

Continued success on the pitch is a key priority so that we maintain revenues from sponsors, match day crowds and the RFU. An equal priority is to make the club more accessible to the whole local community, by developing closer links with local agencies (council, schools, colleges, Community groups etc.). The RFU Rugby Development Officer has instigated the RFU ‘Club Clustering’ approach this season and HRFC are an active player with other local Rugby Clubs and the Local Community groups, where the sharing of ideas and resources, coupled with closer cooperation, will benefit all.

  1. Key Objectives
  2. The Rugby Club
  • To produce a friendly atmosphere in which people can not only play rugby, but also watch the game.
  • To foster and further develop relationships within the local community and other sporting organisations that will ensure the future and continued growth of our Rugby Club.
  • To identify and support approaches for ensuring that the benefits of the Rugby Club are equally accessible to all young people with the ability and desire to progress in sport, targeting Women and those living in a designated priority or disadvantaged areas.
  • To further develop the management, coaching and playing qualities of our Men’s, Women’s and Junior sections within our Rugby Club.
  • To maintain RFU Seal of Approval certification.
  • Men’s Rugby
  • To be successful and competitive throughout all of our teams, whilst playing attractive rugby.
  • Women’s Rugby
  • To develop a sustainable team that has well defined pathways for the development of girls in the Mini and Junior sections into Women’s rugby.
  1. Mini, Midi and Junior Rugby
  • To continually seek to improve the development of all young people, both mentally and physically, whilst maintaining the importance placed on ensuring that the children learn to respect the opposition, their teammates, the coaches, the referees and primarily themselves.

The development of the player follows four key stages

  • Stage 1

Local schemes for all boys and girls that have little understanding or experience of the game, but wish to learn.

  • Stage 2

Maintain a well-managed section within the Rugby Club that has RFU qualified coaches and has well defined and achievable objectives.

  • Stage 3

Maintain an assessment process for those children who have an interest and ability to progress further.

  • Stage 4

The development of individual players and squads, at all ages, who can compete at county and regional level.

  1. Needs and Aspirations
  2. Facilities

The requirements of the Clubhouse and grounds for our rugby club are

  • Accessibility to all
  • Have sufficient changing facilities for the teams and referees, allowing at least two simultaneous games of rugby to be played.
  • Have sufficient playing surfaces for the teams in the club with additional areas for training that have adequate floodlighting.
  • Provision of good recreational facilities (e.g. Bar, refreshments etc, in order to maintain the ‘Ethos’ of rugby.

Any development that is done needs to take into account the RFU Seal of Approval and the RFU guidelines on Community Rugby.

  1. People to develop the Club and teams
  • Men’s; A close relationship with the Junior section to ensure a steady flow of younger players into the senior sides is vital to our survival. In addition a strategy needs to be developed to encourage the local community youth to have the opportunity to try rugby from a playing and social aspect. This should involve closer relationships with local schools, colleges and local government bodies
  • Women’s/Girls; To encourage girls into the game of rugby by using different forms of the game with an emphasis on fun and fitness.
  • Minis/Youth; To encourage children from the age of 5 upwards into the game, demonstrating a seamless move through the club, eventually providing an opportunity to play in adult rugby if desired.
  • Access to Finance; To identify local sponsors and local/national funding opportunities to assist in development of the club as a local ‘community service’
  • Support from within the Club; To raise the profile of the Club within the local community and seek opportunities to make the club facilities available to the community.
  • Coaching/Refereeing; To identify people willing to be qualified RFU Coaches and Referees and then provide support to them in achieving these qualifications. This needs to be an annual programme to ensure that the Club has sufficient coaching expertise in order to improve and maintain the playing standards across the Club.

It is essential that our Club is viewed positively in the Community and that we can demonstrate that we can offer the game of rugby to all ages and sexes in a well managed and controlled way through good management and qualified coaches. We would want to known as a Club that promotes good sportsmanship and fair play, both on and off the field.

We would also want to be known as a club that is welcoming to all, players, members and spectators and that we would like to be at the heart of our local community.

  1. Code of Conduct

We review the Club Code of Conduct, which is printed in our Club Handbook and in our home Match Programme on an annual basis. The code of conduct is managed by all club officials and applied equitably to all players, coaches,spectators and members.

  1. Health & Safety Policy
    The health & safety management of the clubhouse is vitally important, as we need to demonstrate a duty of care to all users of the clubhouse. We need to verify and address the following items in order to ensure that all the necessary steps are being taken to ensure a safe environment exists:
  2. Ensure there is a health & safety policy and that it is actively used and communicated.
  3. Identify responsibility for health and safety including co-ordination of a health and safety management programme.
  4. Carry out regular risk assessments and implement actions for risk reduction
  5. All hazardous substances are clearly identified, controlled and stored.
  6. Accident and emergency procedures are documented.
  1. Child Protection Policy
    The RFU instruction on Child Protection is fully implemented in the Junior section of the club and a Child Protection Officer is an appointed member of the Youth Committee.
  2. Volunteer Recruitment Plan
  3. Attracting new Volunteers

We need to develop a plan to actively attract new volunteers into the club that is targeted at the new parent base that is comes each year with young player new starts and from all areas of the local community.

  1. Succession planning

Within each club committee, each committee position has a job description that includes a responsibility to identify a replacement and complete a suitable handover with that person to ensure management continuity of that committee position.

  1. Club Referee Development Plan

We have a number of qualified referees, who operate on the CB referees panel, but we do need to continue to encourage more players and parents to take up this challenging but rewarding alternative option to playing. The club have hosted both refereeing and coaching courses in the past and having a local course on offer would be beneficial to having more club volunteers taking up the opportunity. A target to aspire to is for there to be a qualified referee available at each Junior age group and at least 3 club referees qualified to level 11 and above, that are willing to have their names on the county refereeing register.

  1. Coach Development Plan
  2. Club Coaching Structure

We have a club wide approach to coaching where the policy, approach and playing style is defined and then implemented by all of the coaches at all levels within the club.

  1. Numbers and qualification levels

We need to develop and manage an ongoing programme to attract more coaches into the club and then take those coaches through the RFU coaching qualification levels such that we have sufficient coaches qualified at RFU level1, level 2 and level 3.

  1. Gap Analysis

There is a need:

  • To increase the clubs involvement with the local community through closer links with Schools, Colleges, Universities and other local organisations.
  • To improve the club facilities using all avenues of funding and financing which are available to us.
  • To provide the opportunity for girls and women to play rugby
  • To ensure adequate health & safety processes are in place.
  • To develop a Volunteer recruitment plan
  • To identify people who have an interest in becoming a referee.
  • To develop a Coaching recruitment and development plan
  1. Club Action Plan

Action Item / Objectives / Performance
Indicator / Responsibility / When / Resources
1. Increase the clubs involvement with the local community / - Identify and hire a Rugby Community Development Officer to action the following objectives.
- Put in place direct links with local schools with the local sports college and the Sports Development Officers
- Encourage schools to use the club facilities as an aid to developing sport for their pupils.
- ‘Streetsport’ initiative is supported via Hermitage Housing Association.
- Organise with the RDO for the delivery of coaching classes for teachers / - Recruit 20+ new players from the local community each year.
- Increase school participation in Rugby.
- 4 x local Schools ‘try rugby’ sessions and follow up sessions held
- Introductory coaching sessions held and ‘finals’ day at the Club completed
- 4 local schools have had coaching courses delivered / Community Development Office (CDO) with support from Club coaches.
Supported by
- The Director of Rugby
- The Junior Chairperson
- The Academy Chairperson / 2004/2005
2004/2005
Annually
Annually
Annually /
£ CDO Salary
CDO
CDO +
Club and Coaches
CDO + Club + £300 and Coaches
CDO +
Coaches
2. Improve the Club Facilities / - Create a Club 5 year facilities plan
- Identify and secure the necessary funding streams that are available
- Initiate and manage actions that will deliver the items in the 5 year plan / - Plan approved by the Mgmt Committee
- Plan items have the necessary funding in place
- Projects are delivered on time and to specification /
Management Committee
- House and Grounds
- Treasurer
- Club Manager
- Director of Rugby
- Youth Chairperson- / 2004
2004/2009
2004/2009 /
£’s
Project Mgr
3. Provide a environment where girls and women can play rugby / - Identify a player base of girls and women
- Provide adequate changing and showering facilities
- Identify and appoint a Team Manager and qualified Coaches
- Modify the Club Management structure to include a Women’s section / - Recruit 20+ Women players
- Changing and showering facilities in place
- Team Management System in place
- Integration of Women’s into HRFC / - Club CDO
- Director of Rugby
- Chairperson for Youth
- House & Grounds
- Women’s Team Manager / 2004/ 2005
2005/2006
2004/2005
2004 / £1000 for building works
£300 for coaching courses
Action Item / Objectives / Performance
Indicator / Responsibility / When / Resources
4. To ensure adequate health &safety processes are in place / - Review or create a club health & safety policy
- Carry out a risk assessment and schedule annual reviews
- Review or create the Accident & Emergency plans and processes. / - H&S Policy is documented with a review process in place and a responsible person identified.
- Risk review documented and necessary action plans in plans
- A&E plans and processes are operational and are referenced in the Club Handbook / - Management Committee via the Club Manager
- Club Manager
- Club Manager / 2004
2Q2004
2Q2004
5. Recruitment of Volunteers / - Analyse the requirement for a Volunteer Recruitment role in the Club and decide what approach to take.
- Create job specifications for all roles
- Identify the gaps in the Management System that Volunteers can fill.
- Create a Volunteer profile for each role
- Build and implement a recruitment process / - Recruitment process in place and operating
- All Job positions documented and approved by Mgmt Committee
- List of Job Roles available
- Vacancy publicity created and posted
- No vacancies in Club Volunteer positions that have been empty for more than 6 months. / - Management Committee
- Youth Chairperson / 2004
2004
Annually
2005
Annually
6. To encourage more club members, parents and ex-players to become Club Referees and to encourage them to improve their refereeing qualifications, so that they can officiate on behalf of the Hampshire Referees Society / - Make an audit of all club members who have refereeing qualifications, or who have a willingness to take a refereeing qualification
- Create a Referee Development Plan for those Club Members identified.
- Provide coaching/refereeing courses for the Mini/Midi section
- Provide Refereeing certificate courses / Audit complete and content verified
Plan created and costs identified.
1 course yearly maintaining a base of 6 qualified Mini/Midi referees
1 course yearly maintaining a base of 6 people holding the Referee Certificate. / Director of Rugby
Director of Rugby
Club CDO
Director of Rugby and Chairperson of Youth / 2004
2004
Annually
Annually
/
£200
Action Item / Objectives / Performance
Indicator / Responsibility / When / Resources
7. To encourage more coaches and for all coaches to attain higher levels of RFU accreditation. / - Establish terms of reference within the Head of Rugby’s Job description to manage Coach Development of all coaches & potential coaches within the club.
- Make an audit of all coaching qualifications in the club
- Formalise a Coach Development Plan for identified coaches & senior players
- Provide Tag Courses for Parents of U7 &U8 players
-Provide coaching & referee Mini/Midi course for Mini/Midi Section Coaches / Parents
- Provide Level 1 Coaching Course for Youth Section Coaches and Senior Players
- Provide a level 2 course for Coaches and Senior Players
- Provide access to Repco and Topco coaching programmes through the CB/RDO
/ Terms of reference agreed
Audit complete
Club Coaching Plan complete
New parents tag course operating (min of 6 pa)
1 course yearly maintaining a base of 10 qualified coaches
2 courses per year maintaining a base of 20 qualified coaches
1 course yearly maintaining a base of 6 qualified coaches
Nominations made / Director of Rugby to be responsible for all objectives with the Head Coach and Chairpersons from the Academy and Youth Sections performing an active role.
Head Coach
Club CDO
Club CDO
Director of Rugby
Director of Rugby
Director of Rugby / 2004
2004
2004
Annually
Annually
2005
2005
Annually /
£500
£500
£400

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